In a recent interview on Fox News, former President Donald Trump made a striking claim that he never called for the arrest of his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton, a statement that blatantly contradicts his previous campaign rhetoric. During the interview, when confronted with the famous “Lock her up” chant by interviewer Will Cain, Trump responded, “I didn’t say ‘lock her up,’ but the people said ‘lock her up, lock her up,'” as reported by NY Mag.
This claim has sparked a wave of backlash and accusations of dishonesty, as there is extensive video evidence from Trump’s own campaign events where he directly engaged in or encouraged these chants. Social media and public figures have reacted with frustration and disbelief. One notable tweet from @JoJoFromJerz expressed exasperation, stating, “The convicted felon is now saying he never said ‘lock her up,’ because of f***ing course he is.” Another, from @mrbenwexler, highlighted the inconsistency in Trump’s stance from 2016 compared to his current remarks about the conviction of politicians.
Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade criticized Trump for his apparent attempt to manipulate public perception, tweeting, “By denying that he led chants of ‘lock her up,’ Trump is asking people to put tribe over truth.” This sentiment was echoed by @JillWineBanks who called Trump a liar for denying his involvement in the chants, and @Typewriter_Tale, who noted, “He said it about 100 times. What a liar.”
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump explicitly called for Clinton’s incarceration on several occasions. At a rally in North Carolina, he declared, “For what she’s done, they should lock her up.” He reiterated this sentiment in Pennsylvania, saying, “‘Lock her up’ is right.” His comments were not limited to echoing crowd chants; he also made direct statements such as, “Hillary Clinton has to go to jail, OK? She has to go to jail,” during a speech in California, and during a Florida event, “She has to go to jail,” as reported by CNN.
Even during a presidential debate in October 2016, Trump told Clinton, “Because you’d be in jail.” Despite these documented statements, Trump attempted to distance himself from these comments in the Fox News interview, suggesting a shift in tone after winning the presidency: “It’s easier when you win.
They always said, ‘Lock her up.’ And I could have done it, but I felt it would have been a terrible thing… Then we won, and I said pretty openly, I’d say, ‘All right, come on, just relax. Let’s go. We gotta make our country great.'” This latest claim from Trump has only intensified the scrutiny and debate over his controversial political legacy.